Fishing reel



M. E. LEE

- FISHING REEL Dec. 15, 1953 Filed April 27, 1950 INVENTOR. @4TH/EW ,55-

Patented Dec. 15, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE yFISI-IIN G REEL Matthew E. Lee, South Bend, Ind.

Application April 27, 1950, Serial No. 158,577

a reel, considerable difficulty is experienced in assembling the parts in a manner to insure free running of the reel. Where the journals for the shaft of the reel are carried by the separate parts of a split handle, any small axial disalignrnent of lthose journals will cause a binding action preventing free running of the shaft. Regardless of the care with which the handle parts are assembled, absolute accuracy of registration of the journals is not always possible and, where inaccuracies occur, it is not possible to detect them during assembly, so that the only assurance of propel1 operation of the device which can be obtained cannot be secured. until after the complete unit has been assembled.

It is the primary object of this invention to overcome this difliculty and to provide means insuring in all instances complete accuracy of positioning of the journals for the shaft of the reel which project from said reel and at least one end of which projects from the rod handle mounting 1 the reel.

A further object is to provide `a reel assembly having a reel housing, a spool conned in said housing, and a shaft rotatable and slidable in said spool housing, wherein one end of said shaft is journaled in a bearing carried by one handle part and the opposite end of said shaft is journaled in an aperture of said housing, said housing being separable and provided with means for accurately registering the parts thereof when assembled.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specication.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an assembled rod handle and reel, taken on line l-l of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary inner face View illustrating the construction of one part of a rod handle.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 1 and illustrating the Aparts of the reel in Va. diiierent position.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numerals it and l2 designate complementary parts of a longitudinally split fishing rod handle having a central longitudinal parting plane lll. The opposite end portions of the handle parts have cooperating reduced dimension externally screw-threaded portions It and intermediate shouldered or stepped portions It.

At one end the handle parts are nxedly secured together in register by an internally screwthreaded end cap having a central internally screw-threaded bore meshing with the threads of the handle part l5 and having a skirt portion 22 encircling the handle portions i8. A transverse pin 25 is carried by one of the handle parts, such as the handle part it, and is adapted to have a snug nt within a transverse bore 23 in the opposite handle part. rihe iit of the pin 2d in the bore 26 cooperates with the cap 22 to hold the parts in complementary relation.

A sleeve 2t having a bore 3i) adapted to receive the shank portion of a fishing rod or blade (not shown) has a screw-threaded bore portion 32 fitting upon the threaded end portion It of the handle. The inner end of the sleeve 28 includes a skirt portion 3d fitting around the handle portions I8.

An elongated central line passage 3E, preferably open at the parting face of one ofthe handle parts, extends longitudinally of the handle from a transverse socket or recess 38 positioned intermediate the length of the handle. The passage 36 extends to the end of the handle mounting the sleeve 28, and said sleeve is preferably provided With a diagonal bore it formed therein to discharge a line passing from the passage it and thence laterally forwardly and outwardly through the passage t. The socket portions 38 are formed in each of the two confronting handle parts so as to provide cooperatively s, socket which is intersected by the parting plane lfl and whose axis is perpendicular to said parting plane. Reduced outer passage portions i2 are axially aligned with the sockets 38 and cooperate theren with to provide a passage extending continuously through the assembled handle. In longitudinally spaced relation to this passage there is formed in one of the handle parts, here shown as handle part l0, a transverse recess itil, for purposes to be mentioned hereinafter.

n My new reel assembly is adapted to be mounted 1n the handle constructed as deiined above. The reel includes a cup-shaped housing part fitting Within thecentral socket havinga cylindrical wall 4G and an end wall 4S. The cylindrical wall i5 is provided with a lateral opening or passage 5G in communication with the line passage 36 and adapted for entry of line into the cup-shaped housing. The end wall 48 of the cupshaped housing has a central aperture 52 formed therein. A line spool 54 is snugly and rotatably fitted within the cup-shaped housing 56, d8 and has a perimetral dimension only slightly less than the inner diameter of the cylindrical wall it so as to provide a clearance between said parts substantially less than the thickness 0f a line but yet sucient to permit free rotation of the spool within the housing. A plastic line (not shown) is preferred.

The spool le has an axial bore within which is rotatably and slidably received an elongated shaft :it which projects from the opposite ends of the socket Se in the normal position of the parts, as best illustrated in Fig. l, said shaft also projecting freely with clearance through the aperture 52 in the base it of the reel housing. A sleeve is mounted within the outer end of the reduced passage portion t2 of handle part IG and serves to journal the shaft at one end portion thereof, As here illustrated, the sleeve 5S preferably projects slightly beyond the outline of the handle so that its outer end provides a bearing surface. The shaft E@ intermediate its ends mounts a crosspin EE which is free to slide within the reduced passage portion d2. A coil spring 62 encircles the shaft 55, bearing at its outer end upon the journal sleeve ES and at its inner end upon the cross-pin G0. The cross-pin til is adapted to enter with clearance the opening 52 in the end wall it of the housing and is adapted to be received in radial recesses fill formed in the end of the spool. The normal position of the parts is illustrated in Fig. l, wherein the pin 6D is seated in spool recesses fifi by the pressure of the spring t2 so that a rotation transmitting drive connection exists between the shaft and the spool.

A portion of the shaft 56 projects outwardly from the bearing sleeve 53 and has pivoted thereto at one end of' a crank arm S whose opposite end rotatably mounts a crank handle le. The spring G2 in serving to draw the shaft 56 inwardly to lo l: the same to the spool, also serves to press the crank arm 68 against the outer end of the bearing iS to provide a bearing surface therefor, and, furthermore, serves to resist pivoting of the crank arm 58 when, as here illustrated in 4, a nose portion 72 is formed on the pivoted end of the arm t3. Thus when it is desired intentionally to place the handle l@ in a retracted position, as when the unit is being stored, it may be swung to the position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. l with the crank handle 'lil entering the recess This prevents rotation of the shaft or feeding of the line, and the same action of the spring 52 which serves normally to hold the crank arm in the Fig. l full line position, serves also to hold it releasably in the dotted line position.

The cup-shaped housing te, #i8 forms one part only of a separable housing which completely encases the spool 5t. A second housing part fits upon the cup-shaped `housing and is provided with means for accurately centering it upon the part et, fill. As here illustrated, the second housing part constitutes a closure plate 'M which spans the open end of the cylindrical wall portion it and has a circumferential reduced thickness portion 'i6 of such construction that it defines a cylindrical shoulder having a snug centering fit within the open end of the cylindrical housing wall 46 and a reduced thickness ange bearing against the outer edge of said cylindrical housing wall fifi. The plate 'M is therefore positioned entirely with respect to the housing 46, i8 and is not dependent for accuracy of position upon the position of the handle part, such as the part l2, within which it is conned. The plate 'It has a central aperture it of a diameter to journal and slidably receive the shaft 5G. In the normal position of the parts, as seen in Fig. l, the shaft 5G projects through said aperture "58 and into the reduced passage portion [i2 of the handle part l2.

The passage :i2 in the handle part I2 is stepped and has a reduced outer end portion 33. A cylindrical push button te of elongated construction is slidable in the passage portion 43 and normally projects outwardly therefrom. At a point intermediate its ends the member Si) has a circumferential flange E2 which is normally adapted to bear against the shoulder formed between the passage portions and A coil spring 84 encircies the inner end portion of the plunger 30 and bears against the flange 32 to press the plunger Sii to the Fig. l position. This coil spring is preferably welded, soldered or otherwise fixediy secured to the housing plate lil so as to facilitate the accurate assembly of the parts during the assembly of the rod and reel.

It will be apparent that this reel construction insures full accuracy of registration of the journals for the opposite ends of the shaft so that the ree1 will have a free running or free spinning action at all times. The reel also is readily assembled within the handle, for which purpose it will be evident that the entire reel may be assembled and connected to the handle part i s previous to the positioning of the push button Sii by the coil spring S45, whereupon the opposite handle part i2 may be applied thereto and assembled or secured to the handle part l by means of the end caps 28 and 26.

The passage 5@ may be L-shaped, opening at the mouth of the cup-shaped housing to facilitate insertion of the reel and the line into that housing. The L shape of the passage is best seen in Fig. 3. The shape of this passage forms a tongue in the housing wall, but, inasmuch as the housing fits snugly within a recess or socket in the handle, and further, inasmuch as the reel fits snugly Within the housing, these parts mutually reinforce the arrangement including the tab and avoids excessive weakness of the structure due to the presence of the tab.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein, it will be understood that changes in the construction may be made within the scope of the appended claim Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

A fishing reel adapted to be mounted in a transverse passage extending through a longitudinally split fishing rod handle, comprising a cup-shaped housing having an end. wall provided with a central aperture and having a lateral linefeeding aperture, an elongated shaft concentric with said housing and extending therethrough with its ends projecting therefrom, a spool rotatable in said housing with slight clearance and journaled and slidable on said shaft, one end wall of said spool being notched, a cross-pin carried by said shaft and adapted to seat in a notch, a sleeve encircling one end of said shaft and adapted to fit in one end of said handle passage spaced from said housing to journal said shaft. a coil spring encircling said shaft and bearing at opposite ends against said sleeve and said cross-pin, and a cover spanning the open end of said housing and having a central aperture journaling said shaft, said cover having a reduced thickness marginal portion defining a shoulder portion projecting into said housing with a snug it to center said cover, a push button shiftable in said handle passage adjacent to and engageable with one end of said shaft and having a circumferental Flange between its ends, and a coil spring xedly secured at one end to said cover and encircling the portion of said button in- 'Wardly of said ange.

MATTHEW E. LEE.

References Cited in UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Namej Date Hancock Apr. 27, Kepler Oct. 8, Meisselbach et al. June 20, Foss Jan. 21, Nash Apr. 14, Welch Aug. 12, Thompson Nov. 23, Berlinger Oct. 30,

the le of this patent 

